Dr Bhattarai delivered a speech in front of the same building that housed the bank 13 years ago, and the locals listened to him with curiosity.
The Maoist party has come a long way since the Chyangli attack. From a small band of insurgents, the underground party went on to become a colossal force dominating most of rural Nepal before formally quitting the insurgency in 2006. After joining competitive politics, it has become the largest political party in the Constituent Assembly.
The people of Chyangli have pinned great hopes on Bhattarai, but the road ahead is certainly not going to be easy for him. “The revolution is yet to reach its logical end,” he told the locals. Dr Bhattarai continues to be a popular politician in the district and he has won the hearts of many through the loan-waiver program for peasants introduced by the then Maoist-led government.
“If morning shows the day, Dr Bhattarai will really do something to change our lives for the better,” says Kamal Viswakarma, 47, of Chyangli-5. Viswakarma is one of the beneficiaries of the loan-waiver program. He had taken Rs. 2,200 from the local bank in 1991, and the debt amount had jumped to Rs 14,000 by 2008. He came to the Maoist rally at Biruwaguthi to express his gratitude to Bhattarai. As part of its relief package for peasants, the Maoist-led government had written off loans to peasants amounting to Rs 30,000 and also waved interest on loans of up to Rs. 100,000.
As Bhattarai´s police-escorted vehicle moved on to rugged trail to head for another function at Biruwaguthi, people in ragged clothes stood outside their huts to wave at him. Colorful welcome arches were erected at several places.
Lal Bahadur Nepali, 68, came to the Maoist rally at Biruwaguthi from Gaikhut to demand an irrigation system for his village. “Had there been irrigation, I would not have had to work as a porter to feed my family,” says the wizened man.
In his speech Dr Bhattarai told the locals of a number of plans he had in his mind to uplift them. He stressed the need for cooperatives, for developing horticulture, distributing land to the tillers, developing hydropower and irrigation from the Marsyangdi river, and so on. He also reached Tanahun district to welcome new entrants into his party.
Dusk had already fallen when he headed back to the capital, and he had made lots of promises. Amid political turmoil and instability, how he will keep the promises is yet to be seen.
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